Not Gonna Get Us
by Puck's Favourite Girl
Summary: Right when Mikan thought that her biggest worry was getting Natsume to take her out on a date, something in Alice Academy goes horribly wrong and when Mikan sacrifices herself as a hostage to save her friends the only thing on Natsume's mind is how to get her back? M/N H/R
1. The Wonderland Dance Troupe

**A/N First Gakuen Alice fic! I'm seriously excited to be writing this and I hope you all like it! Enjoy! Oh, this chapter is inspired by the song Not Gonna Get Us by TATU, well mainly near the end.**

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It was supposed to be just any other day. They were supposed to smile. They were supposed to laugh. He was supposed to tease her and she was supposed to pout and retaliate. He was supposed to nonchalantly grab her hand and frown at her when she tried to pull away and she was supposed to smile sweetly and hold on just as hard. It was supposed to be perfect. But of course, as life usually goes, it didn't. Everything went the exact opposite. Now, he was just left with the empty dreams and closed heart of a boy who couldn't protect the one thing he swore to keep; his heart. All he could do now was hope she was strong enough to save herself.

* * *

Sixth grade; new building, new teachers and most importantly, a new start. What with a whole new building and new principal, the old Class B couldn't be happier. Most of all being Natsume, glad that the nightmare of Persona and the Elementary Principle were far behind him and that his own little miracle was safe and sound. Said miracle however was currently being loud and annoying so when Hotaru pulled out her Baka Gun 2000 and shot her five times in the head, he could only smirk and shake his head in amusement. Stupid idiot.

"Neeee, Natsume! Don't laugh! It hurts." His girlfriend pouted cutely, crossing her arms and glaring at him from underneath heavy lashes.

"It's not my fault you're an idiot." He retorted, giving her a pointed look and covering his crimson eyes with his hair.

Pouting even more, she slid into her normal seat next to him and sunk low onto the table. "Even when we're dating you're still mean to me." She sulked pettily, tracing circles on the desk and sighing dramatically.

Rolling his eyes at her antics, he hauled her up from her mini pity session and planted a chaste kiss on her nose, watching in amusement as sakura blossoms grew on her cheeks. "Are you done sulking now?" he asked curtly, not letting her see the nearly imperceptible smile spreading on his lips.

Cheering up like a light bulb, her inner light flamed brightly and she smiled widely. "Mhm! I love you Natsume!" she chirped cheerily before bounding up from her seat to go and talk to Sumire about getting a haircut.

Blushing a bit, Natsume scowled into his manga and glared at anyone who dared to smile at him in amusement. Stupid Polka… "Hey Natsume! Did you hear?" a short boy with wild blonde hair ran up to his desk with unhidden enthusiasm. Leaning for a moment to catch his breath, the shine went back in his eyes as he burst to life. "The Wonderland Dance Troupe is coming to perform at the Academy tomorrow!"

An eye-brow raised in a what-the-hell-do-I-care expression, Natsume glared at him heatedly. "And I care becauuuuse?" he dragged out his words all the while playing with a flame in his palm.

Hardly fazed by the fire he held, Koko continued on with an all-knowing smirk. "Well apparently, it's a couple's only event and everyone's trying to get tickets to see it. They say that whoever goes will have a budding romance forever!"

"That's a load of crap." He replied coldly, turning back to his manga, completely ignoring the mind-reader in front of him.

"...And apparently Mikan wants to go…"Natsume's interest caught, Koko could barely repress his grin at the chaos he was about to cause, "And someone already asked her!" he finished with relish, looking mischievously at the innocent brunette who was currently laughing away without a care in the world.

That did it. Curiously now piqued, Natsume exploded from his chair in a rush of anger and halo of fire swirling around him. "They did WHAT? Where is that sorry bastard? I'm going to burn him into the deepest pits of hell!" he raved furiously, outrage blazing in his heated eyes.

Noticing her boyfriend's explosion, Mikan hurried over to his side and reaching out to his arm, nullifying his flames before grabbing his forearms in panic. "Natsume, what's going on?" she asked, worry pouring from her almond eyes like a waterfall.

"Someone trying to steal my girlfriend is what's going on." He snarled hatefully.

Shock registered in the smaller girl's face, her eyes widening and her mouth opening into a perfect O before a smile spread across her lips and she thwacked him lightly on the head. "Stupid Natsume, no one's taking me away from you, I said no of course." She dropped her hands from his arms to clasp his hand firmly in hers, smiling gently.

Undaunted by her sweetness, his glare stayed true as he tried to pinpoint exactly which idiot dared to ask HIS girlfriend out. "It doesn't change the fact that you're mine and he has no right to go around and ask you to the stupid dance show, which in fact, has to be the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" he was ranting now and Mikan shook her head, amused.

Reaching up to stroke his face, she forced him to look at her and held his gaze in her own. "Natsume, you're the one I gave my alice stone to and nothing anyone says or does can change that. So can you please calm down and not kill anyone?" his harsh gaze softened and she grinned up at him sweetly before turning away stubbornly,"And for the record, the dance show is NOT stupid and I really wanted to go!" she whined, stars suddenly popping up in her eyes at thought of dancers twirling on stage and Natsume greeting her in a suit, carrying a perfect red rose.

"It would be so romantic!" she sighed happily, content to just stay in her dream world forever.

Natsume's sharp voice shattered her fantasy and she pouted when he slapped her lightly on the back of her head. "No." was his curt and as usual, cold answer.

"But Natsume!"

But the fire wielder was back in the arms of his precious manga and currently ignoring her. Again. Sighing, Mikan took her seat as their new teacher strode in the room carrying that day's lessons plans. Better luck next time. But by God she WOULD get Natsume to take her to the dance recital!

* * *

Three hours later however, the prospects of them going out on a date were getting smaller and smaller.

"But Natsumeee! Just this once can't you take me out?" she begged, pleading with him with her shining doe eyes.

Finding the strength somewhere within him, probably thanks to that willpower alice, he turned away from her puppy-dog face and replied with the same answer he'd been telling her all day. "No."

Throwing her hands up in frustration, she plopped down onto the ground where the trunk of their Sakura tree met the earth and crossed her arms. "I just don't see why not!" she exclaimed exasperatedly.

Patience now wearing thin, Natsume threw himself down so that his face was level with her own so she could feel the electricity sparking in his eyes. "Because! I don't trust anyone that comes into the academy from the outside. The only reason you ever come back to this prison is to get back at it." his body language was tense and agressive, but Mikan could tell he was on the edge and for once not out of anger. Natsume was worried.

"Natsume…"

"No, end of discussion. We're not leaving the dorms during their performance. All of us; Ruka, Koko, Permy, Imai, all of us are staying in the dorms and we're NOT going to that dance got it?" His eyes stared vehemently into hers and she swallowed loudly.

"Natsume, the Elementary School Principal is gone, there's nothing to be afraid of anymore." She murmured gently, placing her hands on his knees.

Looking away from her, he refused to show her his face. "There's always a reason to be afraid." he murmured bitterly.

"Nothing's going to happen to us, I promise!" she exclaimed, determination building up in her eyes.

"And what if something does? I'm supposed to protect you!"

"So what? You're just going to lock me away like the Principal did, is that it?" Mikan was beginning to get angry and her annoyance at his overprotectiveness was showing. She understood, honest to God she did, but he couldn't keep her sheltered like that. It just wasn't right.

"Don't." his voice sharpened like the blade of a knife and his eyes glowered at her like demon flame, "Don't you dare compare me to _him_." He spat the last word out like it was a poison.

"Then don't keep me in a bubble Natsume. You can't lock me away from the world just to keep me safe." She said gently, taking hold of his hand.

"But what if something happens?" and in that moment, Mikan saw more of Natsume's vulnerability than anyone had ever seen. His voice dropped low and she could see the unbearable worry plaguing his ruby orbs and the slight frown on his face.

Smiling as brightly as she could, she squeezed his hand and laughed confidently. "Then we'll get through it like we always do. Together." Leaning forward, she pressed her lips to his and revelled in the sweet taste of his mouth and the way her entire body lit up like a firework and the warmth that spread from head to toe. "Nothing's gonna get us... I promise." She sealed her vow with a kiss and somewhere in the back of her mind wondered if this was what getting married felt like.

"You're lucky I love you Polka-Dots."

She rolled her eyes amusedly, "Oh yeah, I'm sooo lucky."

They stayed like that, just sitting together, enjoying soaking up each other's presence for the rest of the day. Eventually, Mikan fell asleep, Head resting in Natsume's lap, her soft breathing warming up the inside of his leg. Her face relaxed and peaceful, Natsume suddenly felt the gripping feeling of fear clenching his chest and he fought to keep it at bay. He would fight; he would fight 'till the very end for the girl who currently slept without a care in the world. He loved her, dear God he loved her. And he wasn't about to let her go. Deep inside him, all he wanted to do was keep her away from anything that could harm her, keep her all to himself, but he knew that he couldn't. All he could do was try his best to keep her safe. In his scared mind, being happy came second to her well-being, but if she really wanted to go that badly, then who the hell was he to be the jerk boyfriend who wouldn't take his own girl out to a show?

Fine, he'd take her, if only to see her smile.

* * *

"Boss, the preparations are all set. You have a master suite in the Guests Wing of the Academy…yes…yes it's right next to the Student Dorms…no I don't think we'll have to resort to thaaat, no I think she did a good job of convincing Hyugaa to go…yes…he will be there…alright then, tomorrow…tomorrow everything will fall into place…good night sir."

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**A/N Ooooh, who was on the phone? What's going to happen next? Who knows? :) I hope you all are intrigued enough to look forward to the next chapter :P Until next time!**

**- Ray**


	2. Falling Down

**A/N The action finally starts! I hope you're all excited now! :P anyway, enough with this author's note let's get to the story! **

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Mikan sighed in self-pity as she watched jealously as proud boys handed ruby red dance show tickets to their squealing girlfriends who hugged them adoringly, some even giving them kisses to show their love. Watching every other girl's happiness broke her heart even more, but Mikan couldn't help it. She had long since accepted that she was never going to go and see the most famous dancers _in the world_ but it didn't stop her from sulking about it.

Deciding to go bother Hotaru, certain that she would cheer her up, she bounded somewhat cheerfully toward her best friend and pouted. "Hey Hotaru, do you think the Wonderland Show is going to be as good as everyone says?"

If there was anyone who was pessimistic enough to cheer her up, it was Hotaru. Usually, Hotaru would degrade any show or event, usually saying it was stupid or not worth it. Hoping that Hotaru would trash the company enough to lift her spirits, Mikan leaned forward eagerly only to fall backwards in misery.

"Of course it will be as good as they say. They're a world renowned company baka." She drawled out unsympathetically.

"Hotaruuuu you're supposed to lie to me and tell me it's gonna suck!" she whined, tears pouring out of her eyes childishly.

Looking up from her thick tome, Hotaru glared at her supposed best friend. "You're telling me you want me to throw away my moral standards and lie to you just to make you feel better?" she demanded in annoyance.

"Yes!" she exclaimed exasperatedly.

Pulling out her Baka Gun, Hotaru let her invention do all the talking for her. "Baka! Baka! Baka!"

Rubbing at her head in pain, Mikan pouted, before sulking over to Ruka who offered her a sympathetic smile. "It's alright Mikan, I'm sure you and Natsume will get to see a lot of shows when we're older." He offered comfortingly.

Sighing, Mikan knew he was right, but still, she didn't want to see a show later, she wanted to see one now! A hand pulling at her pigtails forced her upwards as she hollered in pain. "Natsume you idiot! What was that for?" she scowled at him before she noticed what he held in his palm.

Eyes shining, Mikan blinked. No, it wasn't a dream, Natsume was holding Wonderland tickets! "Natsume?" she asked, barely daring to breathe.

"Quit making such a big deal out of it Polka-Dots." He commanded, his face expressionless as usual.

"Natsume!" she squealed happily, throwing herself at him and hugging him tightly, "You're the best boyfriend I've ever had!" in pure bliss right then, Mikan squeezed the life out of her boyfriend who tried to look cool and uncaring, but couldn't help the small smile that spread on his face.

"I'm the only boyfriend you've ever had." He reminded her bluntly.

Stuttering, Mikan quit hugging him and turned away from him, crossing her arms. "It's not like I couldn't have had one. I just didn't want one." She argued stubbornly.

Smirking, he leaned in next to her ear, smirk widening as he felt her shiver. "That's because you were always in love with me weren't you." He murmured seductively.

Blushing, Mikan tried to formulate a decent comeback when Narumi-sensei strode in the room, a wave of happy pheromones following him. "Ohayo minna-san!" he called out cheerfully and the entire class sweat dropped collectively, minus Mikan of course.

"Narumi-sensei!" she called out cheerfully.

"Oh Mikan-chan! I didn't know you were in Class 2A." he smiled cheerily, totally lying through his teeth. There was a reason he volunteered to substitute for the regular teacher today.

Natsume rolled his eyes in disgust, seeing right through their girly teacher. Grabbing his girlfriend's hand, he pulled her down into the seat next to him and turned his head pointedly away from her, glaring at Narumi who looked away awkwardly. By now, Mikan was used to his odd behaviour so thought nothing of it, the sole thing on her mind being what she was going to wear to the show.

For the rest of the day, Mikan's head swivelled to the clock and she counted down the very seconds until the bell rang to signal the end of class. Excitement bubbled in her heart when the bell finally rang and Mikan sprinted out the classroom ignoring the shouts of annoyance from her classmates. By the time she reached the girls dorms; she was sweating and panting beyond belief. Her lungs burning for air, she paused for a moment at the door before remembering why she ran all the way there in the first place. Energy rejuvenated, Mikan threw open the door and hopped the steps two at a time until she reached the one-star rooms.

Opening her door, Mikan gasped in pleasant surprise. There, lying patiently on her bed was a knee-length dress that shimmered in the light. Wanting nothing more than to run towards it and marvel at its simplistic beauty, Mikan knew that what she really needed right then was a nice, steamy shower. Hopping into her teeny shower, she revelled in the warmth that soothed her skin and soon, Mikan found herself thoroughly clean and refreshed. Wrapping a white fluffy towel around her torso, she grabbed a mini version and wrapped her hair in it, knowing it would dry faster that way.

Walking over to the dress, she picked it up as though it was made of delicate glass and twirled it around her. Standing in front of her mirror, she fingered the halter straps and marvelled at the intricate beading on the bodice. Patterns of sakura blossoms beaded in silver decorated the top just before the dress flowed outward into a flowy skirt.

Unable to wait any longer, she stripped herself of her towel and pulled on her underwear, thankful the dress had a built in bra. Unwrapping the towel from her hair, she twisted the remaining water out of her hair and using a banana clip, clipped her hair up high into a droopy bun. Sliding into the dress, she tied it expertly from the back and twirled around in it laughingly. The dress flattered her still undeveloped figure, making her chest stand out just a little bit more and showing off her slight curves. Throwing open her closet door, she searched the rack that held her shoes in search of a pair of silver flats she knew would definitely match. She was glad that she had let Anna and Nonoko convince her to buy them, after all, according to them, a girl always needed a pair of silver flats.

Content that her hair was dry, Mikan let it hang loose over her shoulders in the way she knew Natsume liked and smiled at her reflection. Yes, she had definitely cleaned up nicely. Looking at the clock, she jumped in shock and sprinted out her door and down the stairs. "Shoot! Shoot! Shoot!"

As usual, she was late.

The show started at seven and Natsume had told her before she left that he would come get her at 6:30. It was already 6:40 and she knew she was in for a lecture when she caught sight of his annoyed face. "Finally! Do you know how late you-"he stopped midsentence as he stared at her, a little blush popping up on his cheeks.

"How do I look?" she asked innocently, not noticing the way the breath left his lungs and how he wouldn't stop staring.

"Where did you get that dress?" he said instead, embarrassed to have been staring at her like he did.

"It was on my bed when I got there." She replied, slightly disappointed that he hadn't said anything, but knew that was just the way he was.

Walking over to the entertainment hall of their school, Mikan was glad when Natsume clasped her hand in his and proceeded to walk her into the auditorium. "Wow!" she gasped in astonishment.

The concert hall where Reo had once performed had been transformed into an elegant opera house style setting. Thick red velvet chairs were lined up in an orderly fashion and the stage was decorated with gold accents and silver ribbons. "Tch." Natsume looked around, unimpressed until a head of blonde hair caught his attention. "Ruka?"

"What's Ruka-pyon doing here?" Mikan looked to where Natsume was staring and gasped, "Is that…is that Hotaru?" shock ran thick in her voice and she could see Natsume gaping next to her.

"The hell is going on here?"

"Ruka-pyon! Hotaru!" Mikan waved her arm around like a beacon and soon enough the odd couple walked towards them, Ruka smiling, Hotaru having no clear expression. Not like that was unusual.

"What are you two doing here? Are you two together?" Mikan exclaimed loudly, extremely happy for her two friends, her excitement palpable.

"Calm down idiot, Nogi asked me and I said yes." Hotaru stated, putting a clear end to the discussion.

Not wanting to risk being attacked by one of her inventions, Mikan sweat-dropped and laughed awkwardly. "Well let's go sit together!"

"The seats are numbered stupid." Hotaru said bluntly, pointing to the number 64G on her ticket.

Crestfallen, Mikan stared at the floor disappointedly. She made a sad sound in the back of her throat and was going to say something when Natsume nudged her shoulder. "Quit looking so depressed Polka; we have seats 63 and 62G. We bought our tickets together. So quit pouting and let's go." Perking up almost immediately, she smiled brightly and tugged all four of them to their seats.

Since they were all sitting together, they didn't really care who sat in which of the four seats so Hotaru claimed 65 as hers with Ruka, Mikan and Natsume on her left respectively. The seat on her right remained empty. Grinning with excitement, Mikan squeezed Natsume's hand and whispered another thank you, kissing him lovingly on the cheek.

With that, the lights dimmed and the stage curtains opened to the cue of dramatic music. Dancers of all sizes leapt on stage and dazzled the crowd with spectacular twists and turns. Throwing one dancer up into the air just to flip and be caught by another. It was a beautiful show that captivated Mikan's young eyes until the very end. Holding Natsume's hand and watching the dancers unfold a story as beautiful as life itself, Mikan had never been happier.

* * *

From on top of the stage, a man in binoculars gazed out into the audience and grinned sadistically as he locked on his target. Pulling out a black phone, he flipped it open and dialed a frequently used number. "Sakura and Hyugaa are in place exactly as planned. Proceed with Part B as soon as intermission starts. Allow no witnesses and lock all the exits as soon as the tubes open. No one is allowed to leave until Team C evacuates, understood?" the dial tone rang and behind think shades, the man's eyes laughed.

* * *

After an amazingly executed finale, the curtains closed for intermission and Mikan brought her hands together enthusiastically as she clapped and cheered delightfully. Turning her head to comment on the show, Mikan paused when she felt her chair shift beneath her. A soft click was heard and in that one second of eerie calm, Mikan whimpered in fear. "Natsume?"

Her hand reached out just as her seat disappeared and she found herself falling down, down, down. Wanting to scream but too scared to even think straight, Mikan hugged herself tightly and closed her eyes in fear. What was happening? What was going on? Where was she going? What was happening? Five seconds later, a bright light entered her vision and Mikan soon found an end to the terrifying tunnel she had just been in. Two men in matching electrician clothes caught her from below and threw her like a sack of flour into an open truck. Wincing in pain, Mikan spun around trying to figure out what was happening. Around her, men in a variety of clothes stood on guard, all staring at the ceiling as though waiting for something.

That something happened when Ruka flew through the ceiling and was caught by the same two men. Looking around, he widened his eyes when he caught sight of Mikan. "Mikan!" he yelled, trying to reach her. The men who had caught him grabbed his arms back and forced him to stay put. "Mikan! Mikan!" he yelled, trying to desperately to get free.

"Ruka!" she screamed back, wishing she could leap over her guard's head and get away.

From her left, a man in a navy blue suit strode elegantly into the room and turned his nose up in disgust. "Where is Hyugaa? Why is that boy here?" he demanded furiously, walking straight towards Ruka who was trying to be brave, but winced when he came close.

"Why were you sitting in Hyuuga's seat?" he hissed angrily.

Turning his head away from his, Ruka refused to answer. Bringing his arm up, the man hit Ruka on the side of his head and yelled. "Where is Hyuuga!"

"Ruka!" Mikan screamed, launching up on shaky feet and sprinting toward her friend, throwing her elbow into the guard's side and ducking the grabbing hand from beside him. "Don't touch him!" she yelled protectively, throwing herself in front of him and stretching her arms out wide.

Smirking as though amused, the man snapped his fingers and Mikan suddenly found herself in the air, her arms pinned behind her back. "Don't interfere little girl." He commanded coldly.

"Now I'll ask you one more time, where is Hyuuga?" he leaned in close, raising his arm up threateningly.

Dropping in from the ceiling, a voice filled with anger commanded their attention, "I'm right here you sorry bastard. Now let them go before I burn you all to hell."

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**A/N I just love Natsume, don't you? Anyway, Mikan's heroic sacrifice is coming up, better get started on that...**


	3. Alice Stones

**A/N I'm sorry for the short chapter but it just felt wrong to add Natsume, Hotaru and Ruka's point of view right after. I'm starting to get an idea as to why someone would want to kidnap Mikan and Natsume and I hope it'll all start to make sense soon. As usual, enjoy!**

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Angry as hell and blazing with fury, Natsume growled like a rabid animal at anyone who dared to look at him and in his palm, a flickering flame caused the guards in the room to start sweating profusely. Three seconds later, a small ravenette fell from the ceiling and Natsume caught her effortlessly before setting her to the ground.

"I'm going to say this one more time, let them go or I'll burn every single one of you." His crimson eyes burned furiously into the blue suited man and his glare intensified as the man merely smiled pacifyingly.

"You see Natsume-kun, I don't think that's going to happen" snapping his fingers quickly, two shots sounded in the air and Natsume lurched in pain, grasping at his neck and heaving in air like he'd never breathe again.

"NATSUME!" Mikan screamed hoarsely, squirming even harder against the iron-like arms that held her.

Glaring, Hotaru pulled out a sleek looking shotgun from her side and held it at arms-length from her face. "Move and die." She dictated in a dangerous voice.

Her amethyst eyes didn't waver and the man had no doubt that had the object in her hand actually worked, she would shoot him straight through the head. With what, he didn't know. Probably a plastic pellet from what he'd heard about from his contacts, but nonetheless, he was glad he had taken down any electronics in the vicinity.

"Nice try Imai, but the second blast you just heard was an electromagnetic pulse that just destroyed anything using electricity in a ten metre radius. Unfortunately, none of your inventions will work in here." He smirked as her emotionless eyes widened and the first shreds of panic burned.

His smirk grew even wider when Natsume finally stood up tall and glared. "What did you do to me?" he growled violently.

Waving his hand in a gentle manner the man smiled. "It won't kill you so calm down would you? Children these days, always so excitable." He smiled again before continuing, taking in the way the child's stance tensed as though ready to pounce. "If you'd look at you neck, you'll see a little gold star attached to your skin. Right at this very moment, it's sending signals to the part of your brain that controls your Alice. In three seconds, that part of your brain will cease to function and you'll be completely vulnerable."

Seemingly unfazed, Natsume only glared. "If you know my name, then you should also know my alias. Do you know why they call me the Black Cat? It's because I can take out people more powerful than you with an Alice-limiting mask." Proving his point, he conjured a small flame around his face but the man could see the sweat dripping down his forehead and the way his shoulders shook at the amount of effort it took.

The man was no fool. He knew just how powerful the middle schooler was, but the power that star had would only let him use his Alice for one big powerful burst. The boy just wouldn't have any strength left to attack again. So really, it was very possible that the Hyuuga boy could rescue one of his friends and escape relatively unscathed. He smiled sadistically, but that was just it, he could only choose one.

"Did you honestly think that we wouldn't be prepared for you? Of course, this ignorant waste of space had to go ruin it all, but I suppose it's alright. I have you and Sakura in the end. The other two will most definitely bring in a good price." He mused thoughtfully before turning to the men beside him. "Capture them."

Glaring in contempt, Natsume sucked in a dry breath before unleashing the biggest wave of fire that the man had ever seen. Immediately, the men in the wave of fire screamed and ran the opposite way, which just so happened to be around Mikan. Controlling the flames that were now flickering violently, Natsume centered them to the left corner where Hotaru said was a hidden staircase that led back up to the stage. That was all speculation of course, but it was better than nothing.

Knowing he wouldn't be able to keep up the fire any longer, Natsume blasted the wall into charred bits and could see the faint outline of stairs, thanking God that Hotaru was right. Satisfied that three of them were safe, Natsume's heart nearly stopped when he saw the amount of people separating him from Mikan. "Mikan!" he yelled, desperate to get to her, but knowing that deep inside, he didn't have the strength.

"Natsume! You have to go! Get out of here!" she screamed hoarsely, trying with all her might to break out of her prison, but finding herself extremely outmatched.

Narrowing his eyes, Natsume stepped in front of his friends and shook his head. "No, if we don't leave together, then we don't leave at all." Mustering up the last remaining strength he had, he tried to conjure a wave of fire again, but could only come up with a whip of red heat that slapped the ground before fizzling out.

Gritting his teeth, he tried to breathe before a cough wracked his system and he choked up blood, the cries from his friends merely fueling his anger and frustration. "Natsume! Get out of here!"

"No!" he yelled back, his ruby eyes pleading with his girlfriend not to make him leave her.

"Natsume…we have to leave." Hotaru's quiet voice shocked him out of his anger and he glared.

"No! I said I'd protect her! I-" he was interrupted by a scream of outrage as Mikan tore her arm from the man's steel grip, ripping something from her neck and launching it through the air.

Instinctively, Natsume caught it before he realized what is was. A glowing Alice stone. Closing her eyes, Mikan activated her Amplification stone and sent it shooting towards her boyfriend with tears in her eyes. Hands shooting out to grab her again, she smiled in relief as the three of them flickered out of view, her last sight being Natsume's horrified face. "MIKAN!"

Clenching her hand into a fist, Mikan tried to swallow her tears but couldn't help but let them rush down her cheeks, wetting her captor's hands and causing him to growl in annoyance.

"Alice stones…" the man's voice rippled with fury and he stalked right up to the man holding her and getting up in his face, yelled violently. "Why didn't you check her for Alice stones!" yelling now more to himself, he raved at everyone's stupidity before pulling Mikan away and tugging at the golden chain sticking out from her collar.

The golden chain had once held three stones, now, only one remained. Her teleportation stone had been given to Natsume and the one that remained was the now useless amplification stone. The last one, her most precious, had been absorbed in her body just after she used the amplification's stone full power.

For now, she was defenceless as she had still not tried to use to the power locked away in the fire alice's stone. But as long as they didn't know she had it, she was safe.

"Did you honestly think that that would save him?" the man spat in her face before throwing her to the floor.

"You probably already know who we are don't you?" the man smiled thinly before taking out a miniature gun from his pocket.

"You're from the I.A.P." she said dully, not wanting to look him in the eye.

Lips curling up in a grin, he nodded satisfactorily. "So it speaks!" he laughed, "But yes, that's correct. And you my dear are quite the conundrum. A girl who can both nullify and steal. A gift might I add, that completely goes against Alice norms. No one knows what your ability really is, probably because we have no idea what an Alice is. Yet you are just a danger to alices. You have the ability to take away and cancel their talents. We at the I.A.P are particularly curious about you and Hyuuga Natsume. People with the fourth type of Alice are powerful yes, but not _that_ strong."

"Leave him alone!" she cried out, getting up on her feet, her face narrowed in distaste. She glowered up at the man who merely moved his gun up a bit to marvel at the shine of its barrel. Turning it over in his palm, he commented lightly, as though about the weather about what rights she had in telling him what to do. "If you don't behave yourself like a good little girl, I'll be forced to actually use this pretty little thing. So if I were you, I'd sit down and learn to hold my tongue."

Angry beyond belief, it took all of Mikan's willpower to sit back down, crossing her legs with considerable difficulty. Damn him. She cursed his name over and over in her head to keep her from doing it out loud. Boring holes into the floor she tried to rein in her pride and anger but knew that unless something happened, and soon, she'd explode all over the place.

"Good girl." He smirked mockingly and her fist shook from behind her back. "Now, let's get out of here shall we? The car's waiting on Juuban street." Signalling to someone behind him, a man hauled Mikan to her feet and began pushing her out a small tunnel like entrance she hadn't noticed until now. And for good reason, it was padlocked until the man punched in a complicated looking code and it swung open, a sense of vertigo overtaking the young girl.

The hesitation she sensed coming off from the man behind her gave her all the encouragement she needed to jab her elbow into his soft stomach and stomping on his foot. His sharp cry of pain brought a smile to her lips as she sprinted to the hole Natsume had burned in the wall a while ago. Predicting her feeble plan, the man whipped around his silver pistol and pulled the trigger.

A bang erupted from the tiny thing and a transparent dart shot from the barrel and plummeted into Mikan's soft skin. Screaming in pain, she reached for the needle with her hand and yanked it out, crying out in pain as she did so. Still running for the hole, Mikan jerked to the left before her legs gave out on her. Gasping on the floor, her vision went hazy before her lids closed and the world dissolved into darkness and pain. So much pain.


	4. Kiss Me and Never Let Me Go

**A/N This story literally has a life of its own, nothing is going really as planned but that's okay, because that's the joy of writing right? Enjoy! And thank you to all my wonderful, amazing reviewers, you make my day and give me the inspiration to write. **

* * *

Bam!

Jerking up from his collapsed position on the ground, Natsume smashed his fist against the wall, sending a tremor through his bones and scraping the skin on his knuckles. "Dammit!" he roared, pounding his fist over and over against the wall, screaming with rage, ignoring the red that leaked from the cuts on his fists and down his wrists.

Like lightening, a hand reached out and grabbed his fist, turning his body slowly to face her own. "Natsume… Stop." She ordered quietly, her purple eyes staring intently in his own.

"Let go of me Imai." He hissed harshly, dull fury burning in his tortured eyes.

"No." her voice was quiet yet powerful and Ruka felt the tension in the room twist and warp into something dangerous. "Beating the shit out of the wall isn't going to help Mikan."

"Shut up!" he screamed angrily, twisting around and bending low into an aggressive stance. "Shut up! You're the one who told us to leave! You don't even care that she's gone do you? I could have saved her!" he yelled, glaring with all his hatred and outrage at the little girl in front of him.

Glowering right back, Hotaru hissed. "Don't you ever say that I don't care. If it wasn't for you, she would still be here!" her anger filled gaze and the unbounded confidence in which she spoke her words froze him in place.

"What?" he whispered.

"If you had just left like you were supposed to then she could have used the teleportation stone herself! Mikan knew she couldn't get all of us out of there so if you had just _for once _listened to her then she wouldn't be halfway across the country by now!" now yelling, Hotaru got right up in his face as she delivered her final blow.

Suddenly, Natsume couldn't breathe. His heart beat erratically and it ceased once, then twice before beating faster and faster, filling his head with the sound of his blood and as sudden as thunder, the flame in his eyes vanished and he seemed to sag into himself. Misery shone in his twisted gaze and he raised his hands to look at them horrifyingly. "My fault…no." he couldn't bear it; he couldn't bear the fact that once again, someone he loved was hurt because of him.

His fault. His fault. Everything was always his fault. If only he had listened, if only they hadn't gone! If only people would just leave his girl alone! Tears gushed in his eyes and he fought to keep them at bay. He didn't cry. Not ever. But, it was his fault. Mikan could be dead and it would forever be Hyuuga Natsume's fault that the bright light of everyone's life was gone. Gone. Gone. Gone.

"Natsume…"Hotaru started softly, "Hating yourself isn't going to solve anything. We have to get her back. And we can't do that without you."

He wanted to cry. He wanted to scream and sob and burn everything to the ground. He wished he was strong enough storm out of the school and take on the world. He wanted to take back what was his and lock them in a room where they would never have to leave. He hated this. Hated this power that surged through him like poison. He wanted to cry.

But he couldn't. Despite her misgivings, Hotaru was right. They had to go save her. He WOULD go save her. Steeling his heart, he pushed aside his tears and held his head up high. "First things first, we have to get this damned star off my neck."

Smiling slightly, Hotaru pointed to the hospital building out the window. Currently, they were in Mikan's one-star room and weren't that far off from the hospital. Taking charge, Hotaru snapped into action and began spouting off orders at a military rate. "Natsume, you go to the hospital and ask for my brother, he volunteers there sometimes and today's his shift. That kind of thing attaches to your skin and doesn't come off unless the person who put it on wills it so. That being said, they'll have to cut it off your skin. But it's built in a way that will give you incessant bleeding if you do. That's where my brother comes in. Tell him it's important and that I sent you." Not bothering to give them a second look, the determined fire wielder sprinted out the door and didn't stop until he reached the door of the hospital.

"Ruka, you need to go to Tono-senpai and ask him to make another Amplification Stone. I don't know if he'll be able to do it, but you have to try. The electric field around the school isn't robotic, it's several Alice Stones powered by Jinno around the perimeter of the school. If we can use your barrier Alice and amplify it, it should nullify the effects so that we aren't detected." He nodded carefully before posing is question carefully.

"What about you Imai?"

Turning away from him, Hotaru was already walking out the door. "I'm going to set everything in motion. When you're done, go meet Natsume in the hospital. We'll meet back here in two hours."

"Wait!" looking back impatiently at the stammering blonde, she raised an eyebrow. "How are we going to find her?"

Hotaru smiled. "Do you know how Mikan pays back her outrageous debts to me? She tests my inventions. It just so happens that I'm experimenting with a tracking system that doesn't rely on satellites. If it works it should give me her general location. That dress she was wearing? My invention." Without another glance back, the cool inventor walked out the door, destination in mind.

Pressing a button she had inside her shirt pocket, her goose bike flew up to her and she hopped on, pressing the accelerator as hard as she could. Bursting through the school building's faculty lounge, Hotaru ignored the screams of shock and fear as she turned off her bike and slid off elegantly. Marching straight towards the principles' desks she banged her hand on the elementary school principal's desk and glared. "Sakura Mikan has just been kidnapped and it's your fault." She didn't yell, but the effect was just the same.

Standing up quickly, Narumi ran to her and grabbed her shoulders. "Imai-san, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that if you had protected us like you're supposed to, then Mikan would still be here!" she yelled ferociously, jabbing her finger harshly against his chest.

Eyes widening, Narumi stepped back as though in a dream and stared, lost, into space. "Imai-san, what you're saying is preposterous. No one can enter Alice Academy without our express permission. The portal was destroyed last year." Jinno said calmly, trying to placate the bomb that was about o explode.

"Then would you kindly explain how Mikan and Ruka fell through a system of tubes under their seats and were, in Mikan's case, kidnapped by a physcopath in a blue suit? Obviously they were either working with or used the Wonderland Dance Troupe who you DID let in."

Ignoring everything else, Jinno focused instead on the more minor details. "Ruka?"

Hissing in frustration, Hotaru glowered at them. "The details don't matter, what DOES matter is that I can probably track Mikan's whereabouts so that YOU can send a search and rescue team."

"Imai, we can't just send off a team of alices whenever a student tells us to." Jinno said sternly, pinning her gaze intently.

Widening her eyes at their stupidity, Hotaru couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Have you not been listening to anything I've been saying? Mikan is in danger and all you can do is lecture me?" a bewildered expression graced her eyes as she glared contemptuously at the crowd.

"And how," a lone teacher with purple hair asked tiredly, "Do you know that Sakura-san was taken?"

"Because I was there!" she burst out, her frustration getting the best of her.

She knew she was acting out of character but she couldn't help it. These people were just not listening. This trip wasn't supposed to take more than fifteen minutes, and then she would head off to her laboratory and start tracking the signal from Mikan's dress and start building an anti-wavelength machine. Their electromagnetic rays posed a real threat to anyone who encountered them, especially for people like her who depended wholly on her technology.

"If you were there then why are you still here?"

Hotaru was quiet for a moment before answering. Her voice low and despondent. "Because…Mikan sacrificed herself to save us. So that's why you have to get up and get a team together! You'll need Alices that don't depend on electricity and you'll have to wear the suits that I design for you."

A questioning glance urged her to elaborate, so sighing as she did; Hotaru explained the reasoning behind her demands. "The enemy used an electromagnetic ray to eliminate any technology within a ten metre radius. My hypothesis is that they can alter the radius so anyone using or wearing anything technologic will be harmed. Secondly, the minute they got there, they shot Natsume in the neck with a golden star that attacks the part of the brain that uses Alices. He was immediately incapacitated and is going through a very painful procedure to take it out."

Gasps of horror and shock burst through the room. "That's impossible. No one knows where Alices originate from." Finally recovering his senses, Jinno weakly tried to devalidate her statement, already knowing the truth.

"If that were so, then why did even Natsume, the thirteen year old boy who can defy Alice Restrainers become completely incapacitated? In the end, he could only give a short burst of fire before becoming completely exhausted and almost fainting to the ground. Somehow, these people know more about Alices then we do and also know more about us than we anticipated."

Silence reined all until Hotaru spoke again, this time, her voice carried a more gentle tone and her glare disappeared to be replaced by a look of determination. "This isn't some brute of an enemy who relies on pure force. These are people who use their brains and who had calculated every move before they even began. They knew Natsume and I were going to be there and were ready for us. If it had been an ordinary fight, my guess is that we could have won. But the circumstances being as they were…we lost terribly."

"Just what are you insinuating Hotaru-san?" the middle school principle asked carefully, as though weighing her words.

"I'm not insinuating anything. I'm SAYING that this enemy isn't to be taken lightly. Obviously they didn't kidnap Mikan for no reason, there's something happening that we still don't understand. They're going to use Mikan for something and we have to get her before anything happens!"

A quiet murmuring was heard throughout the room and Hotaru waited patiently for the staff to reach a verdict. "We'll need to hear the full story and any details you can remember about the event before we decide on anything. But since we all know what the outcome will be, how long will it take for you to create the suits you mentioned and track down Mikan?" Narumi asked, taking charge of the situation and looking at Hotaru as though she held all the answers in the world.

"I can build them all by the end of today hopefully, but the actual mission will have to be carried out tomorrow…there are a few other things I have to finish first." For the next forty minutes, Hotaru related the events of her coming here and started to create the preliminary plans.

* * *

Panting hard, Natsume gripped the sides of chair with a vengeance. Knuckles turning white with the effort, he grit his teeth before letting loose a howl of agony. Hyuuga Natsume was never one to show his pain, but this, this was unbearable. Behind him, Imai Subaru squinted in concentration as he guided the scalpel around the five points of the star, digging into the soft flesh under it and pulling it off his skin millimeter by millimeter. Grunting now, the elder boy made the final cut before ripping the star off his agonized neck, Natsume's scream of pain the thanks for his efforts.

Squeezing his eyes shut, Natsume tried to swallow the red hot pain he was feeling from the blood gushing from the star shaped wound on his neck. His life's blood gushed from the cut like it would never end. Pouring over his shirt and onto his hands. Natsume stared in blank horror and the brief thought of "I'm going to die," fluttered through his brain like a hummingbird.

But as sudden as the pain came, it was gone and Natsume felt two cool hands holding his neck and sealing up the cut bit by bit. He could feel his skin tissue connecting and the stem cells regrowing, being urged, faster and faster to reconnect to form the brand-new skin that kept the blood where it belonged; in his veins. Heaving with relief, Natsume slumped in his seat before collapsing on the ground.

Ruka arrived just in time to see his best friend, fainted on the ground, and to be met with cries for help from Hotaru's older brother. Together, they hauled the bloody boy onto the hospital bed and connected his arm to a thin tube. Pinching his nose in frustration, Subaru ran to the cabinets opposite the bed and grazed his eyes over the perfectly organized mini-cabinets inside. "Nogi-san, what blood type is he?" he asked urgently.

Trying to think, Ruka squeezed his eyes shut and tried to breathe. "B!" he cried out, mostly out of relief, before catching the red baggy in his hands and connecting it to the tube attached to his friend. Flicking the machine on, Subaru collapsed on the chair next to the bed and sighed. "Honestly, my sister must give me more jobs than the school does." He complained tiredly.

Looking worriedly down at the pale boy below, Ruka's voice wavered. "Is he…is he going to be alright?"

Smiling gently, the president smiled warmly, trying to comfort the boy beside him. "He just lost some blood, he'll be fine as soon as he wakes up." At ease now, Ruka sighed in relief before turning to look out the window in the direction of the Girl's Dorms as though looking for something. "But that doesn't explain how he got something as dangerous as that on his neck. All he would tell me was that it was dangerous and would cause a lot of blood loss. What in the world have you been doing?"

Looking away from the president's slightly bewildered face, Ruka refused to answer, instead choosing to tighten his grip on his best friend's hand. "They're going to ask me why I used the hospital rooms later. I'll have to tell them something. It would be better for you if you told me now, that way; you can avoid the questioning of your principle." It wasn't a threat exactly, but it wasn't a friendly reminder either.

Quiet for a moment, Ruka looked up at him and Subaru was surprised to see the amount of emotion that swirled in his baby blue eyes. Sadness and hopelessness were among them, along with anger and self-hate. He blamed himself, Subaru realized, whether it was for Natsume getting whatever it was attached to his neck or the reason it had happened in the first place. "Sakura was kidnapped today." He answered quietly, unable to bear looking at the shock on the older boy's face. "I was there…but I couldn't save her. So Natsume and Imai had to come down and that was when Natsume got shot. Luckily, Imai wasn't hurt, but she couldn't use her Alice either but…but I could have done something. I could have saved them!" he paused again, as though what he wanted to say would just about break him apart. "I could have saved her!" he exclaimed, tears shining in his eyes and his nose sniffling.

Pity rose in Subaru's face as he looked at the boy in front of him. "You shouldn't be so hard on yourself. What happened, happened and there's nothing you can do about it except to try to change it for the better."

Ruka's eyes caught his and his hand automatically went up to his throat where he touched the glowing oval stone on a chain. "Alice stone?" Subaru breathed, entranced by the mystical glow it emitted.

"Tono-senpai gave to me. Your sister thinks it can help us escape from the school when I combine it with my barrier Alice." Ruka answered.

About to say more, he froze when he heard a muffled groan from the bed. Smiling widely, Ruka squeezed Natsume's hand and was delighted when he squeezed back. "Ruka?" he asked, coughing in his elbow as he sat up slowly.

"Are you alright?"

Letting go of his friend's hand, Natsume ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "Yeah." Clenching and unclenching his fingers experimentally, his eyes flickered shut and a flame burst to life in his palm. Crimson eyes sputtered with relief and for the first time in his life, Natsume was glad to have his Alice. Even though it killed him from the inside out, his was the only Alice that could be used as a weapon anytime, anywhere. And he was going to use it to save the girl he loved.

"Come on, Imai's probably waiting for us." Making a move to get up, he tore the tube from his arm without wincing and slid off the bed to walk to the door. Pausing, he turned around and caught Subaru's gaze. "Thank you." He said curtly before walking out the door, knowing Ruka would follow behind.

Smiling shyly at the older boy, Ruka turned to go as well.

"Good luck Nogi…you're going to need it."

* * *

Back in Mikan's room, Natsume and Ruka were unpleasantly shocked to see Narumi and Jinno waiting with Hotaru, as cocky as you please. Glaring, Natsume slammed the door shut and pointed toward the teachers accusingly. "What are they doing here?"

Staring back coolly Hotaru told him to calm down. "We can't just go in and storm the place by ourselves. We need them."

Wanting to argue, but finding that he was just too tired, he contented himself with ignoring the two teachers and sitting on the bed. Set on the top part of the headboard were several frames, all containing pictures of their friends and classmates. In every single one of them, Mikan was smiling brightly like an angel and her arm was always wrapped around someone's arm, grinning up at them. The frame in the middle was by far the largest and the most elaborate; the photo in question however, cracked his heart and made him swallow. Hotaru had probably spied on them and snapped the picture when he wasn't looking, he briefly wondered how much the photo had cost her, but knew that she would have thought it was worth it all. They were sitting up in the boughs of their Sakura tree and his arm was around her protectively. Crimson eyes closed, his lips were pressed to the left side of her forehead and she was gazing up at him adoringly.

Clenching his fist, he swore to himself that he would get her back.

"Here's the plan. You can't save Mikan without us and we can't save her without you." Hotaru stated firmly, pointing to a large white board that hadn't been there before. "You as the staff can't send out a troop of trained Alices out the main gates because that would cause trouble. Therefore, your only option is to escape through the barrier, which you can't do without Ruka's help. Jinno can't bring down the electric field because that would go against the law. Secondly, you won't be able to find Mikan and actually rescue her without my help therefore you need me as well. And as for Natsume, well that's self-explanatory. So you see senseis you need us to be able to do anything." Hotaru knew the rules; she knew that they would never let them go. So she had created an elaborate plan that would require the use of all their Alices. Had she not intended to go, she could have come up with something that teachers could do all on their own. But this was her best friend they were talking about. There was no way she wasn't going to be a part of her rescue team.

"Hotaru-san, you can't possibly be asking us to let you come with us." Narumi said as though speaking to a child.

"That's exactly what I'm saying. If you refuse to let us come, then you'll have to figure out a way to evade their Alice stars and where their hiding. Not to mention, you'll have to walk in there with no communication devices whatsoever and no electronic aid." Shrugging her shoulders uncaringly, Hotaru looked coldly at her two teachers. "We can see how well you'd do on your own, but I refuse to put the life of my best friend at risk because you wouldn't take us with you."

"Imai! Be reasonable, you're only children-"Jinno was interrupted by Ruka's outraged voice, standing up to his feet, the determination in his eyes gave him the courage to stand up against the most feared teacher in the academy.

"We were even younger than this when we went against Z! Not to mention the battle against the Elementary School Principle. Those battles were three years ago and if we're too young now than you're just a bunch of hypocrites! Either you let us come with you or we'll go on our own. Really, letting us come with you would be in your best interests." Ruka had never exploded like that on anybody, least of all teachers and Natsume couldn't help but be the slightest bit proud of his best friend.

Giving him a little smile, he smirked as a blush spread across Ruka's cheeks and he stuttered embarrassedly.

Pinching his nose, Jinno sighed before standing up curtly. "I absolutely refuse to let you three come along. But if the alternative is you leaving alone then we'll concede. But if you so much as breathe without being told to, you'll be given a punishment so severe it will make the past year's battles seem like nothing."

The finalities discussed, the two men left the room to go inform the rest of the teachers and Hotaru soon followed to go work in her laboratory. The two boys expected her to be up all night and probably all of the next day as well working on the inventions that would save their friend. Twenty minutes later, Ruka realized that Natsume wasn't going to leave and bid his farewells before softly closing the door to Mikan's room and walking away to his own.

Natsume stayed, curled up on her bed, just staring at the multitude of photos she had all over her wall and shelves for the rest of the night. Fingering her Alice stone in his hand, Natsume held the frame of the two of them to his chest throughout the night, falling asleep with his lips brushing the glass. He would find her. He would save her and he would say he was sorry. He would tell her he loved her and that he would never let her go. But mostly, he just wanted to hold her. He wanted to cuddle her to his chest and breathe in her kiwi shampoo. He wanted to feel her chocolate hair brushing his skin and kiss her on her forehead and see her blushing smile. He missed her.


	5. Blood Samples

**A/N Hi everybody! I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while, but my other story for Shugo Chara, Safe and Sound has been keeping me awake for the past month. I write where my inspiration takes me and I'm glad it finally came back around here. Thank you so much to my reviewers! Cookies to you all! : ) enjoy this new chapter and I hope this all makes sense.**

* * *

Her head hurt. Moaning, Mikan struggled to regain her senses as the world around her seemed to swoop and dive, dizzying her head and antagonizing her already painful headache. Fluttering her anxious eyes open, they widened dramatically as they sucked in her surroundings, soaking in the too white walls and the too bright lights from above. Trying to get up, she fell back with a thud as she realized her hands and feet were tied tightly with some kind of greenish cord that pulsed with an ethereal light.

Gritting her teeth, Mikan tugged and pulled at her bonds, struggling to break free and suddenly wishing she had a useful Alice that she could use in times like these. Freezing, Mikan mentally slapped herself as she remembered Natsume's Alice stone deep inside of her.

Fire.

She could burn the ropes around her. Closing her eyes tightly, Mikan scrunched her nose in concentration and called to the fire Alice deep within her. Willing a burst of flame from within, a bloodcurdling howl tore from her lips as she screamed, agony tearing into every inch of her skin, her irises rolling into the back of her head. Gasping from the aftershock, Mikan stared fearfully at the violently pulsing cords wrapped around her and whimpered tearfully.

A mechanical slide from behind her forced her to twist around on her stomach and face the tall, navy clad man with frantic eyes. Walking in calmly, the man bent down low and bowed mockingly. "Miss. Mikan, what a pleasure."

Glaring up at him, Mikan wished she wasn't lying on the floor like some defenseless creature. She felt weak. Here she was, literally a sitting duck, all tied up and whimpering. She was not going to bow down to some uppity scientist who thought the right to rule was his to own. "Why are you here?"

"I just thought you'd like to know who I was, after all, we'll be seeing a lot of each other dearie. But let's play a game, can you guess who I am?" He asked sweetly, a predatory, almost hungry smile spreading across his chiseled face.

Taking in a deep breath, Mikan focused intently on the man standing before her, determined to decipher just who this self-righteous man was. Staring, Mikan noticed his angular face which, by average definitions, wasn't very handsome, but an unforgettable face nonetheless. Long, wavy blonde hair fell to his mid back and dark, intense eyes stared back at her from thick lashes. A small pink mouth complemented his straight nose and fair complexion. As always, he was adorned in a fancy blue suit, a small pocket watch sticking out from his breast pocket.

The watch, not particularly extravagant in design seemed to echo and magnify in her mind, turning round and round, numbers growing and shrinking, the ticking of the time blowing her ears. Dark gold etchings surrounding the rim, ripping off its surface and attacking her face, scratching at it with unkown symbols, the ticking mocking her all the way. That watch…she remembered that watch. And the hand that held it.

"You're the Director." She murmured, knowing she was right, yet still lilting her voice as though it was a question.

Clapping his hands together delightedly, the Director strode towards her and bent down low. "Well done little one, well done!" his cheery smile made her boil inside and Mikan wished for nothing more than the power to wipe that sleazy grin off his face. This man did not deserve to smile like that, without a care or worry. This man, who claimed to be working for the good of all, was only a corrupt monster who had fallen into the mad obsession that all men fall under; the quest for power.

And Mikan wasn't about to let him get it.

Tipping her face up, she swept her tongue around her mouth before spitting in the Director's face, watching as he sputtered and narrowed his eyes in disgust and anger. Hands now fully away from her, he hurriedly wiped his face with an ivory handkerchief before bringing his hand up and swiping it down forcefully to her face. Flinching in fear, she froze when nothing hit her and peeked confusedly at the smirking man, his hand still an inch away. "I can't have my greatest experiment all bruised up can I?" Sighing, he stepped back to gaze wonderingly at the twitching girl, "Do you know just how amazing you are Mika-chan? You-" defiance whirled in the young girl's gaze and a hatred blazed deep within her.

"Never call me that again." She warned, wishing she could retaliate as he merely smiled condescendingly down at her.

"All pets need a pet name, and I think Mika-chan is beautiful, just like the future you will help to create." he seemed to like watching her glare and squirm knowing full well that she would never escape. But what he liked most of all, was the defiant horror in Mikan's eyes as the future he envisioned for the world and all the power he, as the head of the I.A.P would hold bloomed in his eyes.

"You'll never get what you want. There are hundreds of Alices and only one of you." She declared boldly, sticking out her chin as much as she could.

Looking down at her intently, the Director cocked his head to the side inquiringly. "Do you really think they'd have a choice?" swivelling around, he didn't wait for her reply before disappearing from her sight and leaving her with her worries and a tattered dress bound in chains.

* * *

She didn't know how long it was, an hour, two, three, before three identical looking men came in, one carrying a tray filled with delicious smelling food, the others making their way towards her. Picking her up, the two unbound her from the quivering ropes, replacing them with a tight anklet that pulsed with the same light on her ankle before leaving without a word, completely ignoring her protests and questions. Leaping up behind them, Mikan scurried to the door just as it slid shut, banging with all her strength she screamed. "Let me out! Let me out of here!" she hollered until her throat was parched and her limbs had no more strength to move. Collapsing on the floor, she glared intently at the anklet pulsing around her ankle before tiredly reaching for the heavy laden food tray and picking at it unenthusiastically. To her utter surprise, she wasn't hungry.

But then again, how could she be? She had just been kidnapped by the man who directed the one faction of the government that would rather see her dead than alive. The I.A.P weren't a sect of the government that was publically known. In fact, no one knew about the mysterious faction other than the people working in it and the President of Japan himself. The Investigative Alice Program was a section dedicated to how Alices worked. As far as people knew, Alices were some sort of mutation that happened during the growing stages in a mother's womb. No one really knew WHAT exactly it was and that was what the I.A.P was for.

Or at least, that's what it WAS for. The program started off innocently enough, but then people like Z and other international terrorists started popping up on the grid. People who wielded powerful Alices as weapons of mass destruction and threatened to harm the very foundations of society. That's when the I.A.P created their new goal; how to create and destroy Alices.

Thus, their need for her stealing Alice.

As far as anyone knew, it was impossible to destroy an Alice unless the person themselves died or it disappeared as a child. Her stealing Alice was one of a kind. It allowed her to literally take a part of somebody away in the palm of her hand. It allowed a transfer of power, and the total lack of it in another. Not to mention her nullification, the power to completely eliminate the utilisation of somebody else's power. If the I.A.P could only uncover her power's secrets, they could efficiently and cruelly control the entire Alice population. A way to control and contain an Alice could be in their hands; power of the Alices could be in their grasp.

And what was man without their thirst for power?

Gone were the times of letting Alices free to accomplish great and amazing things. With the control of Alices in the governments grasp, special elite army forces could be created. A whole new world could be opened in the amount of power Japan would wield. The best part of it was that it didn't matter if an Alice agreed or not, if they didn't want to participate, all the I.A.P had to do was take away their power and be done with them. And no one would be able to stop them.

Curling into a ball, Mikan watched as a few tears leaked from her closed eyelids and dripped onto the white carpeted floor beneath her. In this kind of situation, she was helpless. This wasn't the kind of situation where she could nullify her way out of an Alice stronghold; she was in a normal territory. Over here, people had guns instead of barriers. They had cameras instead of crystal balls. This wasn't a place where she could render everyone powerless in just a second. Here, SHE was the powerless one, and Mikan didn't know how to deal with that.

In every battle she'd ever fought in, in every situation, she could count on being useful, on having a power that no one else had. But now, that very power she had been so proud of was the one that kept her here, trapped with no way out. Trapped in a white, white room with white, white floors and white, white walls. Trapped.

Suddenly, Mikan was overcome with the overwhelming sensation of heartache and loss. Her heart clenched in her chest and her arms felt cold. Cold…

Natsume. She missed Natsume. He would know what to do; he always knew what to do in these kinds of situations. He would have taken one look around the room and already have had a plan. He'd ruffle her hair and look at her seriously and say that she'd better stop being stupid and call her Polka or some other ridiculous nickname. He'd squeeze her hand and demand for a kiss for luck.

She missed him. She missed his warmth and his harsh comfort. She wished she hadn't asked to go to that stupid dance show. Natsume was right; they shouldn't have gone. He said something would happen, he said! And what had she done? She had gotten herself into a mess she didn't know if she could fix.

Natsume was probably furious right now, not to mention Hotaru. She wondered if he would come save her, because right now, she didn't think she could save herself. She was useless. There wasn't anything she could do now.

Natsume's Alice stone burned in her chest and Mikan gasped.

No.

She wouldn't give up. She wouldn't let them tell her what to do. She didn't need to rely on somebody else to come in and be her knight in shining armor; she'd be her own hero. How many battles had she fought? How many times had she saved her friends or saved herself? She'd find a way to bust out of there; she'd find a way even if it killed her because if there was anything she knew her friends would want, it was that she'd never give up.

She was Sakura Mikan and she would never, ever give up. Not now, not ever.

* * *

Curled up in the corner snugly, Mikan's soft snores and misty expression did nothing to endear her to the large purple haired man who casually wrapped his arms around the petite girl and hauled her up to his chest. Marching out the door, he walked slowly down complicated passageways and corridors, swiping his neon green card in slots and stopping every once and a while to do an eye scan. Finally, he arrived at a glass walled door with several opaque lines running across as décor and strode in, bearing the sleeping girl like a prize. "The girl is here." He stated gruffly, not quite sure as to where to put her.

Smiling widely, the Director pointed to a thick working table. "There'll do. We only need to run a few simple tests, nothing too extravagant." Nodding bluntly, the man dropped the girl onto the table before walking out, leaving the Director alone with a young, perky looking scientist in an untarnished lab coat.

"Should I attach her to the main system sir?" she asked pleasantly, a hungry glint in her bubble-gum pink eyes.

Glancing amusedly at the younger girl, he shook his head. "No, we just need to run a few simple preliminary tests. After all, there's no point in wasting our resources if the answer we're looking for is simply in her genetic code." He dictated reasonably, already walking off to rummage around through a different variety of tubes and needles.

Three minutes later, he arrived back with an average looking needle and blew lovingly on the tip. "Ahh science, it simply makes your heart shiver doesn't it?"

Mming in agreement, the pink haired girl watched eagerly as he pressed the needle slowly into the sleeping girl's arm and watched as the steamy red liquid filled up the syringe. Licking her lips in anticipation, she watched as the Director pulled it out satisfactorily and smirked as Mikan's eyes flew open and shock blew up on her face. "What…where?" looking down at her slightly bleeding arm, she grabbed at it worriedly. "What did you do to me?" she screeched, pinning down their faces with her intense stare.

Shaking his head, the Director waved around the syringe sadistically. "Just a blood sample my dear, nothing to be afraid of."

Looking around hurriedly, Mikan noticed the lack of personnel and the glass doorway just in front of her. Gripping her arm tighter, she seized that opportunity to escape and leapt of the bed, running for all she was worth towards the door. Grasping the metal handle, she tugged with all her might but didn't even manage to move it an inch. Twisting around wildly, she watched in desperation as the rosette laughed annoyingly. "You silly girl. You didn't really think we would leave this place unprotected did you?" the name tag on her lapel read Saya and Mikan sagged her shoulders in defeat.

"Now come back over here Mika-chan, we're not done yet." The Director wiggled his fingers beckoningly and Mikan pressed her shoulders against the door in a desperate attempt to dissolve into it and never have to see his face again.

"Come now Mikan, don't be shy. If you don't want to get a nasty shock, I suggest you come back over here right now." Gone was the joyful fatherly tone, but a sharp and demanding one.

Looking down at her ankle, Mikan's brain whirred as the coincidences finally began to come together and the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. She was an idiot. The anklet and the coils both reacted to the use of Alices, but could react from a control system, kind of like Hotaru's inventions. A dull understanding reached Mikan's eyes and now she understood why he had placed that stupid anklet on her.

At first, she had been confused as to why he had put a kind of Alice restraint on her considering hers were pretty much useless over here, but coupled in with the fact that he could control it, it made sense. Wondering if she should just play stubborn and let him shock her, Mikan twisted her lip at the thought of all that pain and bit her tongue savagely. She hated this. She hated being manipulated to someone else's will and letting them make her decisions. She hated her life not being in her hands and as she walked over to the smirking man, she wished for nothing more than his utter disappearance.

Mikan was generally a light-hearted, happy child, but the one thing she had so recently found a hatred for was a lack of control. She hated not having power over her own life and here this man was, forcing her to act like an obedient puppy when all she wanted was to bring down the entire facility to its knees.

Suddenly, the image of Natsume sprung in her mind and Mikan stopped, startled. Was that how it was for him? Was this what he felt every day of his life? Understanding swept through her like a wave. No wonder he was so bitter back then, nothing he did was his own action. Persona had controlled every bit of his life and forced him to do terrible things. Heart swelling, Mikan grit her teeth and continued to walk angrily over to the Director.

If Natsume could survive the humiliation and manipulation, then so could she. If this is what it took to find a way out, then she would do it. She would make the one she loved proud.

So as she lay there, letting them take X-rays and see the inner workings of her body, Mikan closed her eyes and thought. Using every brain cell she could muster up to think of a way to escape from this prison. She would find her way out, if not for her, then for every Alice who would be helpless against a tyrant who sought to rule them all.

* * *

**A/N One ring to rule them all :P, I'm sorry but I was rereading the Lord of the Rings and I just really wanted to put that in somewhere. Anyway for any of those who are curious, the Director's looks are modeled after the Teo user in Black Cat, the blonde one who's friends with the fire fangirl. I hope you all liked it! **

**Ray**


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